can only do at scale, but on the flip side
we’re excited by the intimacy and focus
a single day of thematic talks provide,”
says Luke. “It allows us to take two
years to plan each event because they
both offer such a different yet equally
enticing experience.”
“I’ve been to most major design
and creative conferences around the
world, but the D&AD Festival really
stands out for me for its unique energy
and diversity of content,” says Patrick
Burgoyne, D&AD CEO and former
editor of Creative Review. “As well
as our main stage speakers, we have
exhibitions of winning work, showcases
of young talent and specially curated
versions of our learning programmes for
people to try.”
A three-day immersion in the world’s
best craft, creativity and culture for
the global creative industries, D&AD
Festival is now in its fourth year. “One
of D&AD’s key missions is to lead us
toward a fairer, more diverse industry,
and one of the ways we can do this is by
having a broad variety of speakers, from
seasoned industry legends to up-and-
coming designers,” continues Patrick. “I
always think it’s essential at a festival to
have that mix of different voices, with
different experiences and at different
points in their careers.”
While D&AD Festival will have a
number of keynote presentations, the
majority of the talks will encourage
the audience to actively participate,
and debate the state and value of
creative thinking in the world today- something Patrick feels is vital. “Yes,
you often need the ‘names’ in order to
attract an audience, but it’s often the
people you didn’t necessarily know
about beforehand who you come away
having enjoyed the most.”
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION
When it comes to attending an event,
the cost of a ticket can sometimes be
a barrier, particularly if the event is in
a different city or abroad. Art director
and OFFSET Dublin regular Meg
Hyland recommends buying early to“PICTOPLASMA IS THE
WORLD’S LARGEST,
LEADING, AND ONLY
CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL
OF CONTEMPORARY
CHARACTER DESIGN AND ART”
LARS DENICKE, CO-FOUNDERREPORTPictoplasma is part-conference, part-
gathering, bringing together an eclectic
group of original voices to express their
love for all things ‘character’. Alongside
presentations and workshops, expect
innovative art exhibitions, screenings,
‘happenings’ and performances.
Over the years they’ve had their fair
share of nightmares, says Pictoplasma’s
co-founder Lars Denicke. “ We’ve dea lt w ith
our fair share of force majeure in our time:
earthquakes, bad weather and natural
disasters. Hurricane Sandy cancelled our
Pictoplasma NYC edition in 2012, Blizzard
Nemo destroyed the follow-up in 2013, and
once even a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland
grounded some of the speakers (all with
work deadlines) in Berlin for two additional
weeks after the conference!”
While the Pictoplasma line-up might
not be strictly bound to each year’s special
focus, Lars together with co-founder
Peter Thaler ensure that it echoes their
research. It also has to follow certain
parameters – being a balanced mix of
genres, styles, concepts and gender. “For
the overall festival programme of art-
happenings, panels and performances,we do very much zoom in to each year’s
thematic focus: the upcoming edition is
all about current practices of the mask- from performance and fashion to
anti-surveillance, political activism, and
cultural theory,” Lars continues. “We’ll
be exploring aspects such as disguise,
the defacing or covering up of identity,
using artefacts to extend corporeality,
transcending stereotypes, or even turn
character representation into something
completely new.
“Our focus on ‘character design’ in
all its facets allows us to incorporate any
and every current genre and domain
dealing with anthropomorphic visuals,
imagery, concepts or ideas – and connect
what’s happening in the genres to a larger
picture. This enables the project – and
especially the annual conference — to be
truly trans-disciplinary, trans-media and
trans-awesome,” Lars says. “We feel blessed
to be able to meet, mingle, mix, and work
with so many great talents and wonderful
people from all around the world. It might
sound like a cliché, but for us it really is like
the drug we allow ourselves to overdose on
once a year!”
KEY INFO
- Dates: 13-17 May, 2020
- Location: Berlin,
Germany - Fields covered: character
design in illustration,
animation and games - Year founded: 1999 as a
project; 2004 as event - Attendees: 900
(conference); 20,000
(festival)
pictoplasma.com
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